Truman Book

Sometimes I even laughed......
Cheers for the late bloomers in life!!! A man after my own heart!!!

Harry's cousin said Harry was 'always' a late bloomer. He did everything a little later than his contemporaries.
He didn't marry until he was 35...so, why would it be crazy to him to first arrive in Washington in his early 50's?

"Harry is a fine man, intelligent, able, and has integrity. He doesn't know much about foreign affairs, but he's learning fast..." --Franklin D Roosevelt

This book gets the reader involved! I listened to hours and hours of the audiobook--
I'm still not done with the audiobook. Eventually I checked out the e-book from the library to speed things along. The e-book and audiobook that I have are not synced together which is not a bad thing. I have reread and re-listened to different parts a few times, and I haven't cared one bit.....being in one part in the book - behind in the audiobook.

Some parts are so personal -- showing us how much Truman loved his mother -respected his father--his love for his wife Bess and daughter Margaret. He was a very hard worker--loved books, music, theater, and quiet time at home. He read the Bible and was a Baptist. Truman loved 'cake' -- and hated 'guns'. There was so much 'warmth' for this man.!!!!!
His military experience, knowing how much he hated guns, was gut wrenching to read.

Truman spent 10 years working on a farm - never got a formal College education... but nobody self taught himself more -- other parts give us a greater appreciation and understanding for a critical time in history when Truman was President.

There is so much to pull out of this book --from his early life through the rise of the future President he would become - to the history of the Cold War --scandals challenges--mistakes --an understanding of the dispute between Truman and Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War . Lots of major decisions that he had to make: he had to make decisions with Churchill and Stalin shortly after Roosevelt died. He had to decide to use the atomic bomb on Japan. ....giving us the history of Hiroshima and Nagasaki --
We learn more about how Truman helped with general Marshall to develop the Marshall plan to revive Europe......and we got a look at the overall Republican and Democratic party machines and how they work.

There were many times when they were situations when it was easy to see that many of the problems were a source of egos. Politicians all wanting to be leaders and be right.

I enjoy the subtleties of the inside thoughts of Truman. For example before he was president- ( Vice President with FDR as President)....Truman wrote letters home to Bess ( his wife), saying "He so damn afraid that he won't have all the power and glory that he won't let his friends help as it should be done".
Truman, was a man spoke his mind... had integrity...."a straight shooter".

Truman had been raised I'm straight answers by people who nearly always meant what they said. Roosevelt wasn't that way. --Truman never publicly expressed how he felt, but his biggest objection to President Franklin D Roosevelt was that he lied.
Do we need to wonder what he would think of Trump?

It's impossible to read about past Presidents and not think about our own.

I've watched TV episodes of "Designated Survivor", with Kiefer Sutherland. I remember the first episode, was a shock when Sutherland suddenly became President of the United States. ( zero notice).

What was it like for Truman- to wake up one morning - no advance notice and because of the sudden death of Franklin D Roosevelt: just-like-that > Truman was President?/!
Oh my .... the gossip and the news.....I think would've driven me crazy:
"Good God, Truman will be President", it was being said everywhere. "If Harry Truman can be president, so could my next-door neighbor".

Others knew Truman. They knew what kind of man he was. They knew how entirely honest he was.
"He, of course, has the limitations upon his judgment and wisdom that the limitations of his experience produce, but I think he will learn fast and will inspire confidence. It seems to me that it is a blessing that he is President and not Henry Wallace.

David McCullough is a master at storytelling about our Past Presidents!!! And Truman was a distinctive good man!!!